Unitary structure for crown sheaves



Sept. 20, 1927.

E. TIMBS ET AL UNITARY STRUCTURE FOR CROWN SHEAVES Filed June 1924gnmntou LearzwEZerbe Patented Sept. 20, 1927.

UNITED STATES EDWARD Times, or LOS ANGELES, AND LEWIS E. znnnn, ormonn'ra, camronma,

ASSIGNORS TO UNION TOOL COMPANY, OF TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORA-TION OF CALIFORNIA.

UNI'IARY srnucrunn roncnown SHEAVES.

Application filed June 23, 1924. Serial 1%. 721,847.

This invention relates to the construction of crown-block sheavesorcasingsheaves such as are supported on the crown-block of an oilderrick, but the invention is applicable to any structure. including ashaft with boxes and bearings at its end-s, which must be shipped,or-hoisted to an elevation. Such a structure usually includes boxes atthe ends of the shaft, which are provided with means for holding them onthe beam, and

frequently the shaft is provided with an internal duct for supplyinglubricant to the bearings of the sheave, or sheaves, mounted on theshaft. The-end of the shaft is usually provided with a grease cup whichis screwed into place and which extends upwardly from the shaft. Theweight of this grease cup tends to rotate the shaft and would spill thegrease; in addition to which the rotation of the shaft would. throw thelateral ducts to the sheave bearings out of their proper position. Itgreatly facilitates the assembly of these parts if they can be assembledon the ground and then elevated 2 with ahoisting tackle as a unitarystructure. However, as ordinarily constructed it would be possible forthe shaft to become dislodged from the end boxes. The general object ofthis invention is toproduce a unltary structure for these parts whichcan be readily assembled on the ground and hoisted by means of a tackle,the parts being so related to each other that the shaft will maintainthe grease cup in its proper position, and so 85 as to preventdislodgement of the end boxes which are destined to support the shaft onthe beams after the structure has been lifted into position; also toprovide a construction which will insure ample lubrication of the sheavebearings.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter. I

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts tobe described 0 hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce aneflicient unitary structure for crownsheaves.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the followingspecification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig.. -1. is a-vertical section through the upper. portion ofvjtwosupporting beams about on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

which are represented as su porting my unitary structure "which is a soshown in cross-section but with the shaft partly in elevatlon.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the unitary structure but showing the leftend of the structure as viewed in Fig. 1, the grease cup and the sheavesbeing omitted and the liftmg eye-bolt broken away.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the boxes illustrating details ofits construction, the bolts which attach the parts of the bearingtogether being omitted.

- Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view and may be considered as a horizontalsection taken Fig. 5 is a detail showing a short portion of a rollercage and illustratingv the way in which it carrles the rollers for thebearings of the sheaves.

In practicing our invention we provide a shaft 1, the body of which mayrotatably support one or more sheaves 2. In the present instance thesesheaves are provided with bushings 3, mounted on roller bearings 4. Eachroller hearing may com risev a cage 5 with pockets 6' on its outer aceto receive the rollers 7. The inner sides of the rollers roll on theside of the shaft and the outer s des engage the bushing 3.

Between the sheaves a washer 8 is provided and similar washers 9 areprovided at the ends of the shaft, the latter washers 9 being held inplace by two boxes 10 which are separate and independent of each otherand attached respectively to the ends of the shaft. At the boxes theshaft is preferably formed into necks 11 of somewhat reduced diameter sothat a shoulder 12 is formed at each end of the shaft against which theinner ends of the boxes 10 seat.

These boxes 10 and the shaft are provided with interlocking means sothat the boxes will prevent rotation of the shaft, and these I parts arealso constructed so as to prevent any parts of the boxes from becomingdislodged from the'necks, that is to say, prevent the boxes from slidingoff of the necks. In order to accomplish this each box ispreferablycomposed of two sections, namely, a bodyv section 10 and a capsection 10'. In order to prevent the shaft from rotating in the boxes werefer to provide the upper side of each nec with a substantially flatefiect of a T slot is produced.

face 13, and the cap section 10 is provided with a cooperatingsubstantially flat face 14: which seats on the fade l3.- In order tosecure the sections of the box together, and at the same time, toprevent the boxes from becoming dislodged from the necks, we JIO- videeach box with a pair bolts 15. one olt being disposed on each side ofthe shaft. These bolts pass through openings in the box sections andtheir upper ends are provided with nuts 16 which seat on the upper faces17 of bosses 18 formed on the sides of the cap section.

Opposite each bolt the shaft is provided with a transverse groove 19which extends in a vertical direction so as to receive the bolt (seeFigs. 2 and 4). When the bolts arein place it will be evident that they00- operate with these rooves 19 to prevent the boxes from becomingdislodged from the necks.

Any suitable means may be provided for securing the boxes to theirsupporting beams 20. In thepresent instance the upper face of each beamis provided with two strips 21 and each of these strips has a rabbetgroove 22 out on its inner face so that when the strips are secured inplace by bolts 23 the This T slot receives an anchor bar 24 with sockets25 on its underside to receive the heads of the bolts 15. In addition tothis the underside of the box is rovided with a transverse tongue 26whici is received in the upper part of the T slot. This tonguecooperates with the T slot to guide the box on the beam when it isnecessary to adjust the same along the beam.

Each box 10 is provided with means such as an eye-bolt 27 to facilitateattachment of a hoisting tackle,,it being understood that the tacklewguld have two hooks to be attached to the eye-bolts, and forming part%f a sling as indicated in dotted lines in reason of the location ofthese sheaves at the top of a derrick they are relatively inaccessibleand it is necessary to provide means for supplying lubricant to thebearings for a considerable time without replenishing. For this reasonwe provide the shaft 1 with a longitudinal duct 28 for the lubricant,said duct extending in from one end of the shaft into which is screwed athreaded nipple of a grease cup 29. The

"duct 28 is provided with a thread 30 at its outer end which enables agrease gun to be attached incase a grease cup 29 is not em loyed.

e threads of the threaded nipple 31 are out so that the grease on willbe tight in the thread when it exten s upwardly .from the shaft (seeFig. 1). The grease cup may be provided with a cover-"32 with arcmovthis pin 33 for securing it in place and for safety should beattached to the grease on i by a small chain 34:.

11 order to conduct, the lubricant to the bearings of the sheaves weprovide the shaft with two lateral extensions 35 and 36 and we constructthe duct 28 and these two ducts 35 and 36 in such a way as to insure asuflicient supply of grease to both the bearings. In the presentinstance we accomplish this by making the duct 36, which is remote fromthe grease cup, of considerably larger area than the duct 35. All ofthese ducts may be formed in the shaft by drilling the shaft with drillsof any desired diameter.

lVith a structure embodying this invention it will be evident that whenthe books of the sling are attached to the eye-bolts 27, the boxes willsupport the shaft against rotation and with the grease cup 29 maintainedin its upright position: Furthermore, the bolts 15 with theircooperating slots or grooves 19 will effectively prevent the boxes fromslipping off the ends of the shaft in case the structure should beroughly handled in slinging it up into position.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and we donot wish to be limited in the practice of our inventiomnor in ourclaims, to the particular. embodiment set forth.

What we claim is:

1. In a unitary structure for crown-sheaves and the like, thecombination of a shaft, a sheave carried thereby, a box at each end ofthe shaft for supporting the same, each box comprising two separatesections, a pair of bolts corres onding to each box disposed on oppositesi es of the shaft and connecting tie sections of the box together, saidshaft having transverse grooves receiving their corresponding bolts andoperating to lock the boxes agalnst dislodgment from the ends of the she2; In a unitary structure for crownsheaves and the like, the combinationof a shaft having a neck at each end, a sheave carried on the shaftbetween the necks, a box received on each neck for supporting the shaft,each box comprising two box sections, one of said sections having asubstantially fiat face, and the corresponding neck having asubstantially flat face, each box having a pair of bolts disposed onopposite sides of the neck and operating to clam the sections of the boxtogether with the at faces enaging each other and operating to secure te boxes on the necks. I

3. In a unitary structure for crownsheaves and the like, the combinationof a shaft having a neck at each end with a substantially fiat face onits upper side, a sheave carried on the shaft between the necks, a boxat each end of the shift having a body-see lit'ii tion with means on itsunderside to facilitate its attachment to a supporting beam, and havinga cap-section with a substantially flat face for engaging the fiatface'of the neck, each box having a pair of bolts passing through thebox sections for securing the sametogether and for clamping thecapsection with its flat face enga ing the, flat face of thecorresponding nec each neck having transverse grooves receiving thebolts res ectively and. cooperating with the bolts to o'ck the boxesagainst dislodgment from the necks. v

4. In a unitary structure for crown-sheaves and the like, thecombination of a shaft haveach box for securing the sections together,

the said necks having means for 'engagm the bolts, operating to preventrotatlon o the shaft'in the boxes.

5. In a unitary structure for crown-sheaves vand the like, thecombination of a shaft, a

grease-cup attached to the end of the shaft and extending'u wardlytherefrom, a pair. of sheaves rotata 1y mounted on the shaft, said shafthaving a longitudinal duct communicating with the grease-cup and havinga lateral extension to supply grease to the sheave bearing which isadjacent to the grease-cup, said duct also having a lateral extensionremote from the grease-cup to su ly grease to the other-sheave bearing,t 9 ast named lateral extension being of larger diameter than the firstnamed lateral extension, said shaft having a neck at each end, a boxreceiving each neck and having .eyes secured to "its upper side forattaching the structure to a hoisting tackle operating to maintain thegrease-cup in an upright position when the structure is being lifted bythe eyes, and means associated with the boxes and neck, for preventingrotation of the shaft in the boxes.

Signed at Torrance, Calif, this 14th day of June, 1924.

EDWARD TIMBS. LEWIS E. ZERBE.

